The present invention relates to devices for removing spikes from footwear. More particularly, it relates to a device operable with two hands for enabling the application of a rotational force to a golf spike to facilitate the spike's removal from a golf shoe.
A golf spike is normally attached to the sole of a golf shoe with a threaded male-female connection. Typically, threaded sockets are built into the bottom of the heel and sole of a shoe. Each of the sockets mates with the threads of a post on the bottom of a spike for rotation of the spike on the bottom of the shoe. The spike is attached to the shoe by threading the post of the spike into one of the sockets of the shoe and detached by reversing the threading motion. Thus, a torque must be applied to the golf spike to remove it from the golf shoe. During normal use, the golf spike may become corroded and difficult to remove. It is not uncommon to require the use of extreme force or even power tools to remove the spike. Typically, female receptacles are provided on either side of the spiked portion of the golf spike to enable the application of the torque to the spike. Hand tools of various sorts have been used to engage the female receptacles for the transfer of the torque from the hand to the spike.
Even with the use of hand tools, however, the removal of spikes has heretofore often been quite difficult. Because of the spike's placement at the bottom of the shoe, water, dirt, chemicals and other foreign substances foul the area of engagement between the spike and its socket, making removal difficult. Further, the spikes, which may be made of metal or plastic, are frequently bent and chipped during normal use which may result in undesired engagement between the base of the spike and the shoe, in wearing or partial destruction of the female receptacles, and/or in changes to the portion of the spike with which the hand tools are designed to engage, all of which make unthreading more difficult.
Golf spike wrenches adapted to engage the female receptacles and to apply torque to remove the spike are known. Typically such golf spike wrenches are designed to be operated with one hand. The wrench is gripped in the palm of a hand and twisted with a motion that includes bending the wrist of the user. That is, the arm of the user is flexed at the wrist. By so doing, however, the normal user applies torque (a rotational force) and pushes the wrench (applies a lateral force). Generally, the user is unable to apply a pure rotational force to the wrench, and ultimately to the golf spike, because of the inherent structure of the wrist which also moves laterally during application of a twisting motion. Because golf spike wrenches are typically operated with one hand and because energy is wasted by the application of the lateral force, the extreme force needed to remove a corroded or fouled golf spike may not be available to a normal user. Further, the application of an extreme force in combination with the lateral force may cause the female receptacles of the golf spike to become worn and of little or no further use. The one-handed golf spike wrench may also be unsafe to use because the user risks scraping his hand (e.g., the knuckles) on the other golf spikes in the sole of the shoe should the wrench slip from the spike. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,222,145 to James, U.S. Pat. No. 2,881,648 to Hottle and U.S. Pat. No. 3,447,171 to Eyer.
While various attempts have been made to apply a rotational force to the golf spike to facilitate its removal, the various solutions are generally directed to removing the spike with a single hand and may be complicated and expensive to manufacture. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,140,625 to Pannozzo and U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,562 to MacNeill.
While traditional hand tools such as needle nose pliers may also be used to remove a golf spike, the handles of such devices are not fixed in relation to one another and must be gripped tightly to remove the spike. The gripping action detracts from the application of a pure rotational force and may further damage the golf spike. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,408,737 to Cormier.
It has also been observed that many golf shoes have soft soles which resiliently deform when subjected to downward pressure. In such shoes the removal of golf spikes may be especially difficult with the traditional golf spike wrench which normally requires the application of a downward force toward the sole of the shoe to prevent disengagement of the female receptacles from the male members of the golf spike wrench. It has been found that soft soled golf shoes do not allow the application of sufficient downward force to avert damage to the female receptacles.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel device for removing a golf spike from a golf shoe that is easy to manufacture and use and that enables application of a pure rotational force to the golf spike.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel device for removing a golf spike from a golf shoe that may be operated with two hands without flexing the wrists of the user.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a novel device for removing a golf spike from a golf shoe that may be operated with two hands with the palms of the hands facing each other.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a novel device for removing a golf spike from a golf shoe that reduces the rotational friction between the hand of the user and the device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel device for removing a golf spike from a golf shoe that may be safely operated with either one or two hands.
These and many other objects and advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from a perusal of the claims, the appended drawings and the following detailed description of preferred embodiments.